3-Year Beautification Project Completed In Morningside Park

HARLEM, NY — One of Harlem's biggest parks has a new highlight perfect for a summer stroll, city officials said.

The Parks Department and City Gardens Club announced that a three-year effort to rehabilitate the pond and waterfall area of Morningside Park was completed last week. The $150,000 project — part of the City Gardens Club's centennial celebration — resulted in the planting of more than 40 new trees, flowers, vines and shrubs and the installation of a new lawn near the pond and waterfall.

"The City Gardens Club was delighted to complete this project alongside the dedicated and skilled Parks staff. The rehabilitated and enhanced pond and waterfall area of Morningside Park will bring so much joy to the Harlem community. Raising money for this purpose is our gift to the city in celebration of our Centennial this year," Catherine Crane, president of the City Gardens Club, said in a statement.

The pond and waterfall are located in the southern end of Morningside Park. The area was already one of the park's most scenic areas, but is now even more beautiful, city officials said.

The rehabilitation project was completed in three phases and took three years from start to finish.

"The rehabilitation of Morningside Park’s pond and waterfall, one of the city’s most picturesque locations, goes a long way in providing Harlem with a special destination where they can benefit from the therapeutic power of green spaces," Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver said in a statement. "We are grateful that the City Gardens Club chose to celebrate their centennial anniversary by caring for Morningside Park in this generous way."

Morningside Park stretches from West 110th to 123rd streets between Morningside Drive and Morningside Avenue. The narrow park is one of Central Harlem's largest green spaces and divides the Harlem and Morningside Heights neighborhoods.

Photos courtesy Malcolm Pinckney/NYC Parks